


If Hope Had A Flavor

by martinskki



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 14:59:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5295710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martinskki/pseuds/martinskki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Girlfriend. She’d heard the word so many times before, yet now it was like she had just heard it for the first time ever. The way it sounded coming from his mouth made it seem like the only right way to say it, was in his voice. For now, she’d have to ignore the way her heart stopped when she heard the syllables run out of his mouth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If Hope Had A Flavor

“Maya, please!” Lucas pleaded, swirling in the desk chair located in the corner of the girl’s small bedroom.

“Do you not think I have anything better to do on Christmas Eve?” Maya was stretched across her bed sideways, twirling her own hair as her petite legs dangled off the side.

“It’ll be fun!” He exclaimed. “And besides, you’ve told me about your holidays. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ve mentioned that you’d rather be anywhere other than your cousin’s house on Christmas Eve.”

Maya rolled her eyes and sighed melodramatically, purposefully trying to set Lucas off. “That was before I knew you wanted me to pretend to be in love with you in front of your family.” 

“I never said “in love with me!”” He defended himself. “I just need you to pretend to be my girlfriend for a few hours.” Lucas rose from his seat and placed himself next to her at the edge of her bed. “Please, Maya. If one more family member interrogates me about why I’m not dating anyone, I’m going to explode.”

Maya pretended to ponder for a second, sitting upright and folding her hands in her lap. “Still a no.” She declared, falling backwards yet again.

“I’ll do your homework for the rest of the year.” Lucas stated, desperation in his voice.

Maya sprung up again. “Wait. You’re committing to doing ALL of my homework? From every class? For the rest of the year?” She questioned, her curiosity forming a devilish look on her face.

“Precisely. And all you have to do is hold my hand at a party.” Lucas was grinning, pushing the thought of double homework to the very back of his brain.

Maya’s smirk spread even wider, and she practically yanked his hand off of his arm as she shook it. “Lucas Friar, you have yourself a deal.” 

—————————————————————————

“Red, or green?” Maya spoke softly to herself as she stared at the two dresses on her bed.

“Red says “I know what I want and I have it already”…” She stroked the fabric of the garment. “But green says “I’m smart and sophisticated and open to suggestion”…” 

Her skinny fingers twiddled with the lace detailing on the green dress, her mind suddenly telling her how ridiculous she was being. This was Lucas. Huckleberry. Ranger Rick. Why did it matter what her clothes said to him?

But it wasn’t him she was scared of. She’d never met any member of Lucas’s family, and had no idea what to expect. Were they stuck up? Would they judge what she wore? How her hair looked? Did it matter if she wore heels or flats? 

Right on cue, her phone buzzed, interrupting her overthinking. “Hellooo?” Maya sang.

“I’m downstairs. You ready?” It was Lucas, letting her know she was obviously running behind. 

She rummaged through her closet in search of her favorite heels. “Um..” She clutched the phone between her cheek and shoulder. “Not quite. You can come up, my mom will ring you in.” She hung up abruptly, dropping her phone on her carpet and slinging her shoes behind her. 

“Aha!” Maya almost screeched at the sight of her black velvet heels. She kicked the rest of her shoes back into her closet before spinning back around to face the dress dilemma. Closing her eyes, she decided to go for the gut instinct approach, and reached for the green dress. She threw it over her head as quickly as she could without smudging her makeup or ruining her hair. 

Maya finally stepped into her heels, her favorite clutch in hand. One last twist in the mirror was the kick of confidence she needed before stepping out of the door. 

———————————————————————————

“Hey, Huckleberry.” Maya greeted her southern friend, who was perched on a bar stool and deep in discussion with Maya’s mother when she walked out.

Lucas’s head turned from the conversation as soon as he heard her voice, and he was greeted with a sight that would drain all the color from his face. He wasn’t sure why, but suddenly he was speechless, when seconds ago he was easily talking a million words a minute. “H-Hey.” He stuttered.

Maya chuckled at his slack-jawed expression, her heels click-clacking on the tile of her kitchen as she made her way towards him. “You look like you just saw a ghost.” 

“I’m just not used to seeing Maya Hart all dolled up, that’s all.” He teased her, regaining his composure.

“Watch it, mister.” She waved a black nail polished-finger in his face.

Katy suddenly emerged from the hallway holding a camera, Maya and Lucas unaware she had even slipped off. “I have to get your picture.” She motioned for them to stand next to each other. 

Awkwardly, Lucas and Maya posed with one arm around each other’s back. One flash went off, and Maya was done. “Okay, I think we better get going.” She tugged on the sleeve of Lucas’s sweater.

“Maya, I think your mom-“

“Bye, mom, I’ll be home by eleven!” Maya called to her mother, snatching her coat before disappearing into the hallway. 

Lucas was obviously confused. “What was-“

“She would take pictures all night if we let her. And we can’t keep Auntie Marla waiting!” Maya did her best southern accent, the one she knew drove Lucas crazy.

“I don’t have an Auntie Marla.” He stated, exasperated. 

Maya giggled to herself as they stepped into the elevator. “Sure you don’t, Ranger Rick.” 

——————————————————————————

If it was humanly possible for Maya’s jaw to be on the ground, it would be. “THIS is your car? Are you sure it’s not that one?” She pointed down the road a bit to a decent looking Toyota. That was realistic. This, this was not realistic for a 17 year old high school student. No way.

“I have the keys, so, I’m pretty sure, yeah.” Lucas dangled his key ring, hitting the unlock button as he made his way to the driver’s door and hopped in. He rolled down the passenger window. “You coming?” 

Maya’s jaw was back in tact, but the shock was still prominent on her face. She climbed into the vehicle silently, the BMW logo on the steering wheel catching her eye first. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” 

Lucas focused on pulling out of his parallel parking spot before speaking. “I know it’s flashy. I only drive it when I can’t take the subway.” 

Maya ran her fingers along the leather interior on the car. “No need to explain yourself, Huckleberry. If I had this car, I’d drive it even when I could take the subway.”

“It was a birthday gift from my dad. Something about how it was a symbol of me growing up, or some bullshit thing like that.” He still felt the need to explain. “Honestly, I think it’s a symbol of him trying to make up for not actually being there for my birthday.”

Maya nodded as he spoke, though she wasn’t sure what to say. Of course, she could relate to the part about his dad not being around, but the whole “here’s a $100,000 car, sorry” thing wasn’t exactly her forte. “I get it. Well, the “dad not being there” part, anyway. It sucks.”

Lucas pursed his lips together. How could he complain about something so superficial to her? He wanted to apologize, but wasn’t sure if he should, so he opted out. “We can turn on the radio, if you want.” He flicked a switch on his steering wheel, not really giving her a choice.

“What the hell is this, Friar?” She was referring to the country tune blasting through the car’s speakers. 

“Don’t make fun of my music!” He practically yelled over the sound system. 

Maya rolled her eyes and leaned forward, switching stations faster than the cars around them could switch lanes. Finally, she landed on Blank Space, and her face lit up as she sang.

Lucas laughed as the blonde in his passenger seat danced away, unafraid of the judgement’s of the people passing them. “You know, Taylor Swift used to be a country artist.” He stated with pride.

Maya pointed to her ears. “Sorry, can’t hear you over the sound of this POP song.” 

Lucas reached across the arm rest to poke her in her side, causing her to sink into her seat and him to swerve into the opposite lane.

“We almost just died!” Maya screamed through her giggles.

“Sorry, can’t hear you!” Lucas yelled, turning the volume up even higher than it was before. But even with the hum of the bass beating violently through the vehicle, her laugh echoed the loudest in his mind.

————————————————————————————

Maya watched as Lucas pressed the button for the twelfth floor as they stepped into the elevator. “You live on the top floor?” 

Lucas dug his hands into his pockets, his nerves showing in his body language. “Yep.”

“As in the penthouse?” Maya questioned, feeling her stomach drop. She’d already felt uneasy walking through the swanky lobby of his apartment building; and was sure she couldn’t handle spending hours in the penthouse of it.

Lucas sighed, rocking back and forth. “Yeah, but please don’t get nervous, okay? It’s just a regular Christmas party with regular people.” All of a sudden, his hands were on her arms, trying to keep her calm.

The ding of the elevator as it passed each individual floor was the most excruciating sound Maya had ever heard. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them with a new brightness in her pupils. “They won’t be judge-y, will they?”

Lucas rubbed her shoulders as if it were a natural instinct. “Of course not. My family is nice, Maya.” He paused, the final ding filling the silence. “I promise.” 

The doors slid open, revealing his home. It looked as though everyone had already arrived, and the den was abuzz with the sound of empty chatter and the sipping of champagne. Maya focused on the sound of her heels click-clacking on the shiny tile floor, which boosted her confidence a bit. But even with the powerful feeling her shoes gave her, she couldn’t help but feel like every eye in the room was analyzing what she was wearing and how she was walking.

She assured herself it was just her nerves, then had a follow-up thought: Why was she so nervous? It wasn’t like she was actually dating Lucas or anything. This was all a show. And she was instantly determined to put on the best damn performance she could.

“Lucas!” A high pitched voice called. A plump brunette woman came forward with her arms wide open, claiming the screech. “You’ve grown up so much.” The lady cupped Lucas’s cheek with her hand which, Maya could tell just by looking at it, was cold. 

“And who is this?” She faced Maya, returning her hand to her champagne flute. 

“This…” Lucas nonchalantly reached down and grabbed Maya’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “…Is Maya.” He paused, not wanting to go on. 

“Maya, this…” He gestured toward the woman, “Is my Aunt Marla.” He tried his hardest to mask the defeat on his face.

Maya had never fought harder to hold back a grin. She reached toward Aunt Marla with her free hand, shaping the devilish smirk that was dying to stretch across her lips into a genuine smile. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” God this was going to be fun.

Aunt Marla surveyed the small blonde. “You are just precious, aren’t you?” Her thick southern drawl almost got a chuckle out of Maya, but she composed herself.

“Well, thank you very much.” She considered curtsying but decided it was too much. 

Lucas whisked her in the direction of the kitchen, their hands still intertwined. “That was the best moment of my life.” Maya whispered, though it sounded like a shout to him.

He only chuckled. He tried so hard to pretend that her antics annoyed him, but really they did just the opposite. “You’re having too much fun.” 

“The words “too much” should never be followed by the word “fun”.” She whispered again. Anyone watching the interaction could automatically assume they were a couple.

They stopped walking when a slim blonde woman appeared in front of them. “Mom!” Lucas exclaimed, dropping Maya’s hand only momentarily to throw his arms around his mother. 

The woman was already glowing, but when she saw her son, she lit up even more. “Luke!” 

The way she said his nickname was filled with so much love, and suddenly Maya was aware of every inch of her body. She could feel her palms begin to sweat, and felt sorry for the boy holding her hand. All of a sudden, Maya was nervous again, so, so nervous. The need for this woman’s approval filled her to the brim, and she was overflowing with the desire to impress her. 

“Who’s this beauty to your right?” The blonde asked, observing Maya. The funniest thing was, she didn’t feel judged at all. The look Lucas’s mother was giving her wasn’t judgmental or harsh, it was kind and soft, and she felt herself relax a bit.

“I’m Maya. It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Friar.” Before Lucas had the chance to introduce them, Maya had swept in, as if something had taken over her. 

Lucas simply nodded. “This is my girlfriend, Mom.” He raised their entwined hands like a trophy of their relationship. For now, he would ignore the way his heart stopped when he said those words.

Mrs. Friar smiled at the mention of the g-word. “Why didn’t you tell me she was this stunning, son?” 

Maya was beaming, and it was only partially an act. “Gosh Lucas, how could you not mention that I was stunning?” She playfully hit him in the chest, laughing with his mother. 

Lucas caught her fist as it landed on his chest, rubbing the back of her hand as if it were nothing. “I was too busy mentioning other things, obviously.” His gaze met hers and again, he would have to ignore the way his heart stopped when he found her baby blue irises. 

Maya was dreaming. She had to be, that was the only way it would make sense for her to be in Lucas Friar’s penthouse apartment, meeting his family, looking into his eyes and feeling like the floor had melted below her. “Like what?” She inquired.

“Oh, he goes on and on about your art. And the way you tease him. I have to admit, we’ve stolen a few of your nicknames for him.” Mrs. Friar threw both her hands back as if she had confessed to a major secret.

Maya broke one hand free from Lucas’s grasp to clutch her own heart. “I’m honored that you find my nicknames worthy.” 

They both shared a giggle, and Lucas found himself overwhelmed with joy at the sight of Maya and his mother getting along so well. 

“I need to go check on something, but enjoy the party dear, and find me before you leave!” Mrs. Friar scurried off, leaving the two alone in the crowded room.

Maya bit her lip as she peered up at Lucas, her devilish grin growing yet again. “Who knew I’d be such a catch?”

Lucas shrugged. “Definitely not me.” 

“Apparently you did! Tell me, what’s your favorite nickname I call you? Or should I just ask your mom?” She scrunched her nose at him, making her even more incredibly cute than she already was.

“I need a drink.” Lucas declared in defeat, dragging his “girlfriend” in the direction of the refreshments.

And for now, she would just have to ignore how finding out that Lucas talked about her to his family made her heart stop. 

———————————————————————

“I can not believe that Lucas Moral Compass Friar is drinking underage. I think the apocalypse may be among us.” The petite blonde teased him from across the granite countertop, taking a sip of her own bubbly alcohol. 

Lucas gave her an annoyed look. “It’s a special occasion and there is adult supervision. I’m still your moral compass.” He tapped her nose like it was a tiny button in the middle of her face.

Maya leaned closer to him, her arm resting on top of his. “We’re pretty good at this, you know. We could have a future in acting.” She picked at the fuzz on his sweater, inching her way farther across the counter.

Maybe it was because he was on his second glass of champagne, but Lucas swore he could feel her breath on his neck from the distance she was at. He cleared his throat, focusing on speaking. “Let’s get through tonight before we decide to go on any auditions.” He never noticed before, but her lips were a perfect bubblegum pink.

Maya nodded in the direction of a group of kids their age behind him. “They keep looking over here. Is that a good thing?” She asked, now stroking his bicep like it were her pet cat. 

Lucas casually glanced around, catching sight of them. They were all of his dad’s friends’ kids, and they were snobby brats. “That’s a great thing.” He motioned for the group to join them at the bar.

“Luke, how’s it going dude?” A short guy with a buzzcut went straight in for a bro hug, shoving Maya out of the way.

Lucas battled the urge to hit the guy. “I’m great, Dan.” The rest of the group did the exact same thing, and Maya couldn’t help but notice what a sausage fest it was. 

“Who’s the arm candy?” One of the beef heads asked, and if Lucas wouldn’t have grabbed her hand at that exact moment, the guy would’ve gotten a mouth full of fist. 

Lucas faked a smile so hard, it physically hurt Maya to look at him. “This is my girlfriend, Maya.”

Girlfriend. She’d heard the word so many times before, yet now it was like she had just heard it for the first time ever. The way it sounded coming from his mouth made it seem like the only right way to say it, was in his voice. For now, she’d have to ignore the way her heart stopped when she heard the syllables run out of his mouth.

“Woah, Luke’s got a GF!”

“And a hot one at that!” Maybe Maya would be more mad at the objectification if she could get past the fact that this guy had just said “GF” out loud. 

Lucas raised his hand as if to block the guys from getting any closer to Maya, even though they were on the other side of the counter. “Easy, fellas.”

“That’s adorable. Luke’s getting all defensive over his girl.” Dan’s tone was so condescending, Maya was ready to pounce.

“Well excuse me if I don’t appreciate you talking about my girlfriend like she’s a piece of meat.” Lucas’s tone sharpened, and Maya considered stepping in. 

The group burst into laughter. “Oh he’s mad now.” 

Maya felt Lucas’s grip tighten on her hand. “Let’s just walk away, Lucas.” She stood up and pulled him from his seat. He’d considered protesting, but her hand was so soft, and her voice was so gentle, it made it impossible.

————————————————————————

They ended up in Lucas’s room, reason being that Maya didn’t think he could ever cool down with a million other people around.

They sat on the edge of his bed, just like they had a week before, when Lucas convinced her to come to this. Nobody was around, but still Maya sat with her arm looped around his. Her excuse was that he was warm, and his bedroom was cold, but there was a blanket right behind them, and she was staring at her coat.

“Are you okay?” Maya asked tenderly, like saying the wrong thing the wrong way would wake the sleeping beast in him.

Lucas nodded, taking her small soft hand in his large rough one. “Thanks.”

“No problem, Huckleberry.” She patted his leg for reassurance.

Lucas pried his eyes away from the floor, and instead fixated on her; which was hard to do without losing his breath lately, but he did anyway. “And not just for helping me just now. For all of this. I know this isn’t where you want to be spending your Christmas Eve, but I’m really glad you’re here.” 

While he spoke, Maya felt a wall crash down, and every conscious thought she had about her facial expression faded. She let him see the emotion on her face, for a second at least, before she rested her chin on his shoulder and that signature grin extended across her bubblegum lips. “You’re such a sap.” Was her response, earning a genuine chuckle and smile from Lucas. She was the source of his most sincere laughs, he noticed.

“Now come on.” She hopped up, resembling a tiny blonde bunny. “We’re missing the music.” She stuck out her hand and he gladly took it, ignoring the way his heart stopped every time their fingers brushed.

————————————————————————

“What’s your favorite Christmas song, Maya?” Lucas’s grandfather sat behind the most beautiful white grand piano she’d ever seen in real life; and it was sitting in the Friar household living room.

Maya resisted the urge to drape herself across the piano like she’d seen in movies. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside is a classic.” She told him, admiring the scene in front of her. Most of the party had left, but the people who had stayed were singing and dancing to Christmas songs around the living room, and Maya swore she could feel the love in the air like humidity in the summer time.

Grandfather Friar played the first few chords of her favorite song, and it was like the bubbles from her champagne started popping in her veins as she moved to the slow rhythm. Lucas was rested on a couch not far from her, wrestling a wine bottle away from Aunt Marla. She giggled at the sight, then smiled as she thought about how much he cared for his family. 

Lucas held the wine bottle above him like a trophy, triumphantly racing across the room to set it on the highest shelf possible, out of reach of Aunt Marla. When he spun to return to his seat, all he saw was a flash of emerald as Maya twirled in her dress. Maybe it was the three glasses of champagne, but unwillingly, he began to notice how the twinkling lights that lined the room hit her hair, and turned it gold. He realized that her eyes had green flecks in them, and they reflected off of her dress, and seemed to cast beams of hopeful light across the room. He noticed how perfectly the dress fit her, and how it seemed to dance along with her every time she moved. Just like that, the flash of emerald took over him, and he was at her side before he had time to think.

“Miss Hart, may I have this dance?” He inquired, extending his hand to the lady.

Maya curtseyed, not worrying if it was too much this time. “Of course, Sir Friar.” She let him spin her around the living room, occasionally stopping to dip her. She couldn’t stifle her laughs when he tried to lift her into the air “like in dirty dancing!” he exclaimed, and failed miserably. By the time they finally exhausted themselves and rested in front of the fireplace, they’d forgotten that this was still all an act.

“Kiss her, Luke!” A random cousin pointed above them, and Lucas and Maya raised their heads to the ceiling in unison. 

“Mistletoe!” Uncle Drew called out, and soon everyone’s attention was on Lucas and Maya. 

“Guys, I don’t think-“ Lucas began.

Mrs. Friar interjected. “It’s tradition, just do it!” 

Lucas turned to Maya who was already peering up at him through her long eyelashes. She nodded slightly in approval, her lips pressed together to form a scared smile. What she was scared of, neither of them were sure.

Lucas cleared his throat, tucking a strand of Maya’s hair behind her ear. Before he could figure out where to begin, Maya had already started. She tugged on the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to her level and smashing their lips together. She tasted like strawberries and freedom, and it was like Independence Day in December as he felt the fireworks go off. Her petite body was flushed against his, and she ran a free hand through his hair, imagining that if hope had a flavor, it was on his lips.

They pulled apart after what felt like hours, but was only mere seconds, and everyone was cheering like they had just won the Superbowl. 

“Maya…” Lucas began, her name the only word he could think of to say.

“I know.” She replied, drumming her fingers on his chest and beaming up at him with those lights in her eyes. 

And instead of their hearts stopping, they started beating at the same time, and they couldn’t ignore how in sync they were.


End file.
